We are pleased to publish an expansive new survey into consumer AI adoption in Europe, which you can read here.
Verdane’s study of 7,282 individuals aged 18-60 across Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Germany and the UK sheds light on how people use conversational AI, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot in their lives both professionally and privately.
The study set out to identify differences in adoption between markets as well as private and work settings. 42% of respondents were identified as active users and early adopters, defined as using conversational AI either at work or privately at least monthly. Private use of conversational AI is more common: Average active adoption at work across all markets is 41% and privately 53%.
The UK leads daily professional use at 17%, while Denmark has the highest daily private use at 14%. Active users are confident that their use of conversational AI will grow or remain at similar levels in the coming six months: 95% believe so for private use, while 83% think this will be the case at work.
To understand whether AI plays a major role in purchase decisions, active users were asked about how often they use conversational AI tools to help decide what to buy or compare products and services. The answers paint a picture of changing customer behaviour: 76% have used AI for this purpose, with 17% doing so most of the time or every time when considering a purchase.
The findings clearly show that consumers are already changing how they discover and research products. For companies operating in consumer-facing sectors, this shift demands a reassessment of how to engage potential buyers.
As Daniel Ahlstrand writes in the report: “Large language models (LLMs) from ChatGPT to Google’s Gemini are reshaping how consumers find information and products online, bypassing the traditional search-and-ad funnel. This shift has profound implications for how businesses pursue growth and how we, as investors, evaluate companies.”
About Verdane
Verdane is a specialist growth buyout investment firm that partners with tech-enabled and sustainable businesses that help to digitalise and decarbonise the European economy. Verdane funds have the most flexible mandates in the industry. The firm can invest as a minority or majority investor, replacement or growth capital, in single companies or in portfolios of companies.
Verdane has over €8 billion in assets under management and its funds have made more than 200 investments in fast-growing businesses since 2003. Verdane’s team of over 150 investment professionals and operating experts is based out of Berlin, Munich, Copenhagen, Helsinki, London, Oslo and Stockholm, and combines deep sector expertise with deep local networks and presence in core European markets.
Verdane is also a certified B Corporation, the most ambitious sustainability accreditation globally. The firm only backs businesses that pass its 2040 test, which indicates whether the company can thrive in a more sustainable future economy.
Verdane is partly owned by the Verdane Foundation, which is focused on two areas: climate change and more equitable and inclusive local communities.
